A federal bankruptcy judge in Albuquerque, N.M., has approved a $40 million offer from Eclipse Aerospace to buy the assets of the former builder of Eclipse 500 very light jets. The new company said its first order of business is to get parts flowing to owners, followed by performing modifications and upgrades to in-service airplanes.

In the latest annual product support survey by BJT sister publication Aviation International News, readers rated Gulfstream number one for both newer and older business jet support, while Pilatus scored highest for new turboprops and Mitsubishi topped the rankings for older turboprops. In the newer jets category, Cessna came in second, followed by Boeing BBJ in third place.

Richard Santulli resigned as chairman and CEO of NetJets, which has been owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway since 1998. [See related stories on pages 4 and 50.--Ed.] Santulli founded the firm, which introduced the fractional-ownership concept, in 1986. He will remain with the company as a consultant for at least a year.

Bombardier says it is on pace to deliver its Learjet 85 model beginning in 2013. The manufacturer reports orders for nearly 60 of the $17.2 million (2008 dollars) aircraft, which are expected to become the first certified all-composite Part 25 business jets.

While business aircraft flight hours are down from last year, industry safety has increased disproportionately, according to business aviation safety analyst Robert E. Breiling Associates. In the first half of the year, the U.S. business airplane fleet experienced 13 accidents, down from 34 in the same period last year, a 62-percent drop.

The European Aviation Safety Agency will extend discussion of the most contentious points arising from its proposed new rules for aircraft operations and has indicated that it could permit greater flexibility for business aviation on issues such as flight and duty-time limitations.

Dassault Aviation logged $1.28 billion in Falcon sales in the first half of the year, down from $1.56 billion in the same period last year after order cancellations far exceeded sales. Thus, Dassault's consolidated orders for the first six months equaled negative $1.5 billion, compared with $3.4 billion in the year-ago period.

While Africa brims with unspoiled landscapes written in big, bold strokes, Botswana's Okavango Delta proves especially dazzling. The 6,000-square-mile Delta is formed by the mighty Okavango, "the river that never finds the sea," which roars down from neighboring Angola and spills out into the sands of the perpetually barren Kalahari Desert.

You might never have heard Mick Jones' name, but if you've spent any time near a radio since the late 1970s, you've probably heard plenty of his music. Because the founder and guitarist of the rock group Foreigner rarely sings lead vocals and also because the band touts its brand name rather than its individual members, the UK native has never become particularly well known in his own right.